With just days to go for the Punjab Assembly elections, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on the evening of Thursday, 17 February, shared a copy of the state Chief Electoral Officer's notice withdrawing the ban on broadcasting rebel Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas' statements against party chief Arvind Kejriwal, and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a probe into the matter.
Posting a copy of the ban on Twitter, Channi tweeted
"As CM of Punjab, I request Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi ji to order an impartial enquiry in the matter of Kumar Vishwas ji's video. Politics aside, people of Punjab have paid a heavy price while fighting separatism. Hon’ble PM needs to address the worry of every Punjabi [sic]."
Dr S Karuna Raju, the Chief Electoral Officer, said that the letter had been issued "inadvertently," as per The Indian Express.
In the contentious video that had attracted the attention of the Election Commission, Vishwas is heard recounting an old conversation with Kejriwal, saying, "One day, he (Kejriwal) told me he would either become CM (of Punjab) or first PM of an independent nation (Khalistan)...he wants power at any cost," as per a report by NDTV.
'Will Personally Look Into the Matter': Home Minister Amit Shah
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah, in a letter to CM Channi on Friday, said that the Government of India has taken the matter seriously and that he will personally ensure that the matter is looked into in detail.
The letter in Hindi says, “According to your letter a political party is in touch with an anti-national, banned organization, and is getting support during the elections is very serious for the country’s unity. The agenda of such elements is the same as that of the country’s enemy. It is highly condemnable that to gain power, such elements can join hands with separatists and talk about breaking Punjab and India.”
Channi Faces Backlash Over UP-Bihar Comment
The development comes days after Channi faced backlash for saying, "Bhaiyas from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi cannot come here and rule," during a roadshow.
The comments appeared to be directed at Kejriwal, who has been extensively campaigning in Punjab for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming polls.
Reacting to Channi's remarks, Kejriwal had said that AAP party strongly condemned discrimination against any particular community, NDTV reported.
He had said, "It is very shameful. We strongly condemn comments aimed at any individual or any particular community.”
AAP 'Ready To Join Hands With Separatists To Be in Power': PM
Referring to Vishwas' allegations in the video, PM Narendra Modi said at a rally in Punjab on Thursday, "These people are carrying the dream of dividing Punjab. They are ready to join hands with separatists to remain in power. Their agenda is no different than Pakistan's agenda," reported NDTV.
Meanwhile, the AAP had called the video malicious and had complained that the video was against the mandate of the MCMC (Media Certification and Monitoring Committee) and was in violation of the Model Code of Conduct guidelines.
AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha said at a press conference on Thursday, "I would like to tell these dishonest forces that the people of Punjab will not get entangled in this propaganda. People of Punjab know that the dishonest forces just want to conspire to stop an honest Arvind Kejriwal and AAP."
Chadha also tweeted that the comments were "redolent of promoting hatred, ill will, feeling of hostility in society and in particular against the Aam Aadmi Party... as also intending to create a situation of unrest."
Reacting to Chadha’s statement, Vishwas further said, "I've nothing to do with politics; anybody can win or lose. Be it BJP, Congress, Akali Dal or AAP who wins polls, it doesn't matter to me. But what I said is true. I belonged to a party that I had formed, it has been taken over by wrong people."
(With inputs from The Indian Express and NDTV.)
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